Exercising machines which are effective for the exercising of selected muscles of the body have come into extensive use in training athletes and for providing exercising facilities for the public. Such machines have been developed and used for exercising specific muscles and a plurality of machines are required to provide complete body exercise. Some complex exercising machines have been provided which comprise a plurality of different machines built together as one unit and usable by a plurality of persons at one time, who move about the unit to each machine in turn. Some machines employ weights which are lifted during operation and which provide substantially constant tension mechanisms for resisting movement of selected muscles and thus are isotonic over a predetermined range of operation. Many such machines are provided with cams which vary the tension in a selected manner over the range of operation of the machines. Other machines employ an isokinetic device, such as a hydraulic cylinder and piston for driving liquid through an orifice of selected size for maintaining a constant rate of movement regardless of the force applied by the operator. In a further application the isotonic and isokinetic features have been combined to provide both functions in one machine. The isokinetic feature is needed to control the momentum factor of a traveling weight and the actual weights are needed to control the malingering factor which may occur when training on solely isokinetic equipment.
For the purpose of better utilization of space and for economy, it is desirable to minimize the number of machines required for an effective exercising facility and program, and to make the same exercising functions available to more individuals at the same time. Accordingly, it is an object of my invention to provide an improved exercising machine capable of multiple uses and which is simple, rugged and easily adjusted.
It is another object of my invention to provide an improved single exercising machine capable of use for a large number of exercising functions.
It is a further object of my invention to provide an improved exercising machine having combined isotonic and isokinetic actions and which affords its use for a wide range of different exercises.